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Red Beryl Basics
Economic concentrations of gem-quality red beryl are known from a single location in the world: The Ruby Violet Mine, in the Wah Wah Mountains of Beaver County, Utah, USA. |
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| Glossary of Terms |
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| Gemological Fact Sheet |
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| Uniqueness of Red Beryl |
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Glossary of Terms
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| Hue |
The colour of the stone. Basic hues are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet and purple. |
| Tone |
The level of lightness or darkness of a colour. |
| Saturation |
The strength of the hue. Saturation ranges from neutral to vivid. |
| Pleochroism |
A second colour seen in a stone when it is face-up. This is a result of double refraction. Pleochroism can be often seen best in the ends or points of the stone. |
| Type III |
A clarity grade. Stones are typically graded on their freedom from inclusions and blemishes. The types range from I through III, type I being inclusion free, while type III are almost always included . Because of the harsh conditions present in the formation of the crystal, type III stones are accepted as included and are therefore used in jewelry as such. |
| Anhydrous |
Without the presence of significant water. Red Beryl is anhydrous and therefore can be heated (as often required in the making of jewelry) without cracking or exploding, as often happens with emeralds. |
| Refraction |
The light that is given back to the eye from the pavilion (the bottom of the stone). As light enters the top of a faceted stone, it changes direction when hits the crystal medium thereby reflecting off of the inner areas of that stone. This allows the light to pick up colour and refract out the crown (or top) of the stone. |
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Gemological Fact Sheet
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| Crystal System |
Hexagonal |
| Composition |
Beryllium aluminum silicate. Distinct from other beryls in terms if high contents of Mn, Ti, Zn, Sn, Cs, Li, Rb, B, Pb, Nb, Sc, Zr and Ga. The red colour is primarily due to the presence of manganese. |
| Appearance |
Transparent, highly included stones may be translucent |
| Typical Size Range |
Melee to 4.5 carats |
| Colour |
Red to orangish red or slightly purplish red in hue. Light to medium dark in tone. Typically moderate in saturation, ranges from very slightly brownish to vivid. |
| Clarity |
Type III |
| Inclusions |
Crystals, fingerprints, feathers, fractures, colour zoning |
| Optic Character |
Uniaxial negative |
| Refractive Index |
Typically 1.564-1.572; ranges from 1.562-1.580 |
| Birefringence |
0.004 to 0.010 |
| Pleochroism |
Moderate, orangish red and purplish red |
| Hardness |
7.5 to 8.0, slightly harder than other beryls |
| Specific Gravity |
2.66 - 2.70 |
| Polish Luster |
Vitreous, conchoidal fracture luster is also vitreous |
| Cleavage |
Indistinct on 0001 |
| U.V. |
Inert to LW and SW |
| Stability Enhancement |
Red Beryl's colour is permanent and insensitive to heat or light |
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Uniqueness of Red Beryl
The Rarest of all beryl gemstones, Red Beryl was formed from a unique geological setting. While gem beryls are ordinarily found in pegmatites and certain metamorphic rocks, beryl from the Ruby Violet Mine, the only known location of gem-quality red beryl, is found in rhyolite. Rhyolite is a light-coloured, fine-grained igneous rock created from solidified magma or ash flows. The presence of beryl in rhyolite and its extreme rarity suggests the Ruby Violet Mine is a unique occurrence in nature.
"Red Beryl is now - and is likely to remain - the rarest of all gem beryls… Material from the Violet Claims provides both spectacular gemstones and mineral specimens." - Gems & Gemology Vol. XX, 1984 © Gemological Institute of America |
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